Father, daughter share special alumni bond

Shaday Charles is ready to walk across the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) convocation stage this spring. To call Andy Charles, Geographic Analysis '00, Spatial Analysis (MA) '01, a proud father would be an understatement. Not only is the family celebrating this milestone in Shaday's life, but also the special bond she and her father will share as alumni of the same university. 

Shaday will be graduating from Ted Rogers School of Management's Retail Management program; though her father has always been a proud alumnus of the university, Shaday insists it had no bearing on her decision to attend the university.

"My dad attending the university was a bonus, but it wasn't a major factor for me," she shares. "The Retail Management program provided a strong foundation of business aspects, plus it was a smaller environment, which meant the professors would know my name—that is how I decided to join the program."

Andy moved to Canada from the Caribbean in the mid-1990s to pursue his education. He enrolled at TMU (then known as Ryerson Polytechnic University) for many of the same reasons as his daughter, including the experiential learning style. After completing his undergrad, Andy returned for his Master's in Spatial Analysis. Despite his positive experience at TMU, he says he raised his daughter to make her own choices and was thrilled to learn Shaday would follow in his footsteps.

"I didn't engineer her path to TMU, but secretly I wanted her to end up there," he admits. "I was elated that she may sit at the same desk I sat at."

But unbeknownst to Andy and Shaday, their TMU connection would go one step further. Though the two graduated 21 years apart, they were taught by the same professor, Dr. Phil Coppack. 

"One day Shaday sent me a document from the school, and I was shocked when I saw professor Coppack's name," Andy recalls. "He taught me in the 90s in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, and I also did research assistant work for him."

"My dad sent me an article he was featured in, from when he worked with the professor. It's crazy because we studied so many years apart."

In his more than three decades of teaching, professor Coppack cannot recall ever having taught two generations of the same family. 

"I am most gratified that they remember me well enough to share their stories," he said. "But the times were quite different when I taught Andy than those for Shaday, as were the courses I taught at the time. But I can tell you that it's a strange feeling to know you have influenced two generations — for better or worse!"

Shaday will be crossing the stage on June 24th.

Welcome to the alumni family, Shaday!